Lauren Sanderson's Medicine Box interview is the kind of conversation that makes you want to quit your job and go on tour - chaotic, honest, and completely alive. Sitting down at Medium Sized Backyard, the Indiana-raised artist talks about ten years in the game, a surprise Fred Durst DM that still doesn't feel real, and a song called "Possessive" that she's ready to let the world have.
On the Album 'Lauren' and What It Took to Get Here
Medicine Box: I want to talk about your new project. The album. Let's get into it. How does it feel?
Lauren Sanderson: This is the first project that I really - I've been doing my career a long time, and this is the first time I locked in. I've been here for quantity, just making songs, putting them out, making songs, putting them out. And this was one where I wanted to take a step back and really create something that felt like a stamp. Not an experiment, but more like - no, this is who I am. I'm not questioning who I am. It's just this.
Medicine Box: Which, hence Lauren, the title. Now that the album is out, I imagine you're pivoting towards what Lauren visually is going to look like for your fans on the road. How excited are you to bring that world to life?
Lauren Sanderson: Oh man, I'm so excited. I've just never really known how to put my in-real-life self out there on social media. I do the best I can, but there's nothing like being in real life with people. I have really bad imposter syndrome, so sometimes I forget that people know who I am and know my music. Whenever I go on the road, it's such a relief because I get to actually see and hear people singing the words. It's going to be unlike anything I've ever done.
On Keeping the Energy Up for Ten Years
Medicine Box: You've been doing this for so long. How do you keep that energy going?
Lauren Sanderson: I'm constantly trying to remind myself that every day really is a new day. Every project is new. Some people may have known me for 10 years, some people may have never heard of me. So I get excited that I can wake up every day and choose who I am that day. And with Lauren being the album it is - so full of enthusiasm and energy - artists have to live in the energy of the music they make. So I was like, let me make something that wakes me up too, and I can be the most fun, confident version of myself.
Medicine Box: That's amazing. And you just never know what's going to happen.
Lauren Sanderson: You just never know. Even putting out "Come Say Something" - I got a bunch of people calling me the female Limp Bizkit, and then Fred Durst DM'd me on Instagram. He heard it and was like, "You're killing it, dude." I was like, what? You just never know who's seeing your stuff. It keeps me going.
Medicine Box: And this album is coming close to the 10-year anniversary of your first project. How does that feel?
Lauren Sanderson: It feels surreal, but it makes sense. I always felt like my personality and my art was supposed to be a slow burn evolution. Arriving here is so special because I've done a lot now. I'm not doing everything for the first time. That's why I say it's not an experiment - it's a stamp. I've explored all the things and we landed here because of a choice to land here. I hope to be doing it 10, 20, 30 more years. I'm going to be the person where someone's like, "Girl, put the mic down."
On Life on the Road and Sonic Taco Bell
Medicine Box: If you were to take a fan through a day in the life of Lauren on tour, what are some things that would surprise them about you?
Lauren Sanderson: I feel like I'm just a dude. A dude from the Midwest. I really like normal life stuff. What would surprise people is I don't really do much rehearsing or try to make everything perfect - it's just whatever I'm feeling that day that I bring to the stage. And it's a lot of 7-Eleven hot dogs. Sonic wherever I go. Sonic, Taco Bell, McDonald's. I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is.
Medicine Box: But you own it.
Lauren Sanderson: You've got to own it. Midwest trailer trash - that's the vibe. Anything bougie, I don't like. When things are too nice it freaks me out.
On "Possessive" and Owning It
Medicine Box: What's a song you're most excited for everyone to finally receive?
Lauren Sanderson: There's a song called "Possessive" that I'm very obsessed with. It's inspired by typical lesbo culture of just being possessive over everything about your partner. A lot of people want to hide that feeling, and I'm like - no, I'm possessive. Don't walk up on my girlfriend. That's my girlfriend.
Medicine Box: Because possessive naturally carries a negative connotation.
Lauren Sanderson: Exactly - and I'm leaning all the way in. The lyrics are: "I'm possessive. Break a bottle, bust a bitch's head in. She's not interested, so leave a message at the beep unless you want to lose your teeth. Just some perspective. I'm possessive." That's a little dive into the possessive activities that are happening.
Medicine Box: So I'm never coming after your girl.
Lauren Sanderson: I've literally never been in a fight in my life, but it's a character I'm playing. I love it.
